The present invention relates to assemblies for mounting batteries to vehicles. Modem vehicles utilize electrochemical batteries (hereinafter referred to as batteries) to store relatively large amounts of electrical energy. Some vehicles such as electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles need to store especially large quantities of electrical energy. Often the amount of electrical energy that can be stored on such a vehicle is limited as a result of limited space on the vehicle for batteries. The electrical energy stored in the batteries of an electric or hybrid electric vehicle is utilized to provide a xe2x80x9cpower reservexe2x80x9d at times when the desired rate of travel of the vehicle requires more power than what is being generated by any electrical generators of the vehicle. Such a vehicle can only be propelled at speeds and accelerations that require the xe2x80x9cpower reservexe2x80x9d until the electrical energy stored in the batteries is depleted. Thus, the quantity of energy stored in the batteries is the biggest determinant of how far and how fast the vehicle can be driven before it must be slowed to allow onboard generators to recharge the batteries or stopped so that external devices can be used to recharge the batteries. Limited driving distances and speeds of electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, as a result of limited amounts of electrical energy that can be stored in the batteries of the vehicles, have made electric and hybrid-electric vehicles seem less convenient to many people than more traditional vehicles.
In the event that a vehicle is involved in a traffic accident, any batteries that are mounted to the vehicle could interact with people and the environment in undesirable ways, as a result of the traffic accident. Damage to the vehicle caused by the traffic accident can cause the electrical connections of the battery(s) to become short-circuited. When the electrical connections of the battery(s) are short-circuited, heating of electrically conductive components of the vehicle and/or sparking may occur, either of which may, in turn, cause fires and/or explosions. It is also possible that the casing(s) of the battery(s) may be damaged and may, therefore, allow chemicals that are generally considered harmful to the environment and living beings to spill from the battery(s).
It is thus, an object of the present invention to provide a battery mounting assembly to which a relatively large volume of batteries may be mounted within a relatively compact space. A further object of the present invention is to provide a battery mounting assembly, for which, the risk that the batteries mounted to the vehicle will interact with people or the environment in undesirable ways in the event that the vehicle is involved in a traffic accident is relatively low.
The battery mounting assembly of the present invention provides structure for supporting a number of batteries on a first layer and structure for supporting a plurality of batteries on a second layer spaced vertically above the first layer. By mounting a plurality of batteries on a first layer and a second layer that are spaced below and above one another respectively the battery mounting assembly provides for mounting of relatively large number of batteries within a space that is relatively compact longitudinally and laterally.
The battery mounting assembly is constructed such that there is a relatively small risk that the batteries that are mounted to the battery mounting assembly will interact in an undesirable manner with people or the environment in the event that the vehicle is involved in a traffic accident. At least one embodiment of the battery mounting assembly of the present invention performs in accordance with the safety standards set forth by the Society of Automotive Engineers document J1766. One embodiment of the battery mounting assembly of the present invention is constructed to deform and move in predetermined ways and thus absorb and dissipate large amounts of energy when the battery mounting assembly is subjected to forces and accelerations greater than those experienced during normal vehicle operation. Because the battery mounting assembly of the present invention deforms and moves in such predetermined directions when the vehicle is involved in traffic accidents the mounting of the batteries to the vehicle is maintained and the batteries remain relatively undamaged in all but the most severe traffic accidents. The battery mounting assembly of the present invention is carefully designed such that the strength of certain portions of the battery mounting assembly in certain directions is of a certain proportion of the strength of certain other portions of the battery mounting assembly in certain directions. This proportioning of the strengths of various portions of the battery mounting assembly to one another is what causes the battery mounting assembly to deform and move in predetermined directions when the battery mounting assembly is subjected to forces and accelerations greater than those of normal vehicle operation. The battery mounting assembly is also preferably constructed in a manner such that there is a relatively small risk of electrically conductive components contacting the electrical connections of the batteries as a result of deformations and motions of the vehicle as a result of the vehicle""s involvement in a traffic accident. This reduces the risk that the electrical connections of the batteries will be short-circuited as a result of the vehicle""s involvement in a traffic accident.
Thus, it can be seen that the above mentioned objects of the invention as well as others not mentioned have been met.